Keyed electronic interconnect device for high speed signal and data transmission

Abstract

A keyed electronic interconnect assembly has a high speed coaxial interconnect for a coaxial transmission line having a central signal conductor and a surrounding shield conductor. The coaxial interconnect has a male side and a female side, with the female side including a shield sleeve having a chamber that receives a male shield contact on the male side. The shield sleeve has a contact with a compliant portion that flexibly grips the male shield contact. A mechanical alignment facility includes a closely mating pocket and body, each attached to a respective male or female side of the interconnect. A keying arrangement having protrusion elements and aperture elements are included in the pocket and body to provide selective mating of the pocket and body. Additional data connectors may be included with the pocket and body.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An electronic interconnect assembly comprising: 
       a high speed coaxial interconnect for a coaxial transmission line having a central signal conductor and a surrounding shield conductor,  
       the coaxial interconnect having a male side and a female side;  
       the female side including a shield sleeve defining a chamber for receiving a male shield contact on the male side;  
       the shield sleeve including a contact facility having a compliant portion operable to flexibly grip the male shield contact;  
       a mechanical alignment facility having coarse and fine mechanical alignment portions with the coarse mechanical alignment portion including a closely mating pocket and body wherein the pocket has a rim and a floor recessed below the rim such that the rim provides a first angular displacement limit of the body, and the fine mechanical alignment portion including a notch defined in one of the pocket and body and a key closely mating with the notch defined in the other of the pocket and body such that the notch provides a second angular displacement limit of the body; and  
       one of the pocket and body attached to the male side, the other of the pocket and body attached to the female side;  
       a keying arrangement having at least a first protrusion element and at least a first aperture element capable of receiving the protrusion element; and  
       one of the protrusion element and aperture element attached to the pocket, the other of the protrusion element and aperture element attached to the body and aligned with the other element.  
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein one side of the interconnect is connected to the floor of the pocket. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the interconnect is a blind mating interconnect. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the assembly includes only a single high speed interconnect. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the male shield contact has a tapered exterior end portion. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the key and the notch is positioned at the rim. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1  including an electronic probe to which an associated side of the interconnect is electrically connected. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1  including a signal connector having a first and second signal portion on respective sides of the interconnect, and wherein at least one of the first and second portions extends to a limited distance with respect to at least one of the shield sleeve and the male shield contact such that the shield is connected before the signal upon making a connection. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the body includes a free end surface, and wherein the coaxial interconnect side connected to the body is recessed below the end surface. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pocket has a rim and a floor recessed below the rim, and wherein the aperture element is formed in a tab extending downward within the pocket. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pocket has a rim and a floor recessed below the rim, and wherein the aperture element is formed in the floor of the pocket. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the aperture element includes an array of aperture elements. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the body has a free end face and the protrusion element is a stud extending outward from the free end face. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the body has a free end face and the protrusion element includes an array of protrusion elements and wherein the protrusion elements are studs extending outward from the free end face. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the body has a free end face and the protrusion element includes an array of protrusion elements wherein the protrusion elements are studs extending outward from the free end face and the protrusion elements have a correspondence with the aperture elements. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1  including an electronic instrument to which one of the pocket and body is mounted, and wherein an associated side of the interconnect is electrically connected to circuitry in the instrument. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the female side of the interconnect is connected to the instrument. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the wherein the associated side of the interconnect is rigidly fixed to the instrument, such that application of a force to the interconnect side does not flex an electrical line connected to instrument circuitry. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the male side of the interconnect includes a male signal portion having an elongated free end extending away from a shoulder portion, and wherein the female side includes a female signal portion having a free end face and defining a bore, and wherein the connection is fully made when the free end of the male portion is received in the bore, and the shoulder portion abuts the free end face. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 19  including a spring latch facility operable to bias the shoulder portion against the free end face. 
     
     
       21. The apparatus of  claim 19  wherein the shield sleeve of the female side includes a conductive stop portion operable to contact an end face of the male shield contact when the connection is fully made. 
     
     
       22. The apparatus of  claim 1  including a separate electronic data interconnect having a first side connected to the pocket and a second side connected to the body. 
     
     
       23. The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein at least one side of the data interconnect includes compliant contacts operable to contact a corresponding set of contacts on the other side, over a range of depths with which the body is inserted into the pocket, such that an insertion depth established by the coaxial interconnect may be accommodated. 
     
     
       24. The apparatus of  claim 22  where one side of the data interconnect includes pogo pins, and wherein the other side includes a fixed contact surface. 
     
     
       25. The apparatus of  claim 22  wherein the compliant contact are contained within the pocket.